Sharing a streaming video

ABSTRACT

A video segment can be shared over a computer network by first receiving the video segment at a receiving computer on the network. The receiving computer assures that the video segment is in a streaming video format, and creates at least one identification tag for the video segment. The receiving computer also stores the video segment, and communicates the identification tag to another computer on the network. Upon subsequent receipt of that identification tag, the receiving computer streams the video segment to a destination computer on the network.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of and priority to provisional U.S.patent application Ser. No. 60/188,082, filed Mar. 9, 2000, the entiretyof which is incorporated herein by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This invention relates generally to the distribution of video segments.More particularly, the invention relates to sharing video in streamingvideo format over a network.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

A video can be sent over a computer network as a file attachment to anelectronic mail (e-mail) message. With this type of transmission, theentire video file must be transmitted and received before the receivercan view the video. For large files, the time required to complete suchtransmissions can be longer than the actual playing time of the video.Also, this type of transmission typically requires multiple computerprograms to perform all of the necessary functions, including an e-mailapplication program to send or receive the video in computer file form,and a second program to play or display the video from the received fileattachment. With this type of transmission, it is difficult to controlthe delivery time of the video, and it is difficult to share or forwardthe received video.

A video can be posted to a World Wide Web (“Web”) page. In order toprovide a video in this manner, a server computer connected to the Webmust be used to host the Web site, and software packages must exist andbe used to prepare the video, and transmit it over the Web using theFile Transfer Protocol (FTP or ftp) or the HyperText Transfer Protocol(HTTP or http). To implement this type of video posting, at least adetailed knowledge of various computer communication protocols isrequired.

SUMMARY

It is an object of this invention to provide methods and systems forsharing video segments over a network. It is another object of thisinvention to provide a user with the ability to upload automatically avideo segment over a network onto a server, without any specializedskill or knowledge on the part of the user. It also is an object of theinvention to store the automatically uploaded video segment either onthe server or remotely. The stored segment can then be streamed over thenetwork, for example the Internet, to a destination computer such that aperson at that destination computer can view the video segment.

In accordance with the present invention, full motion video can beautomatically uploaded to a video server and then accessed by any numberof viewers after each viewer has been provided with an identifier of thevideo. The video identifier can in general be an identification tagwhich identifies where and/or how the video can be accessed, for examplea network address, or a universal resource locator (“URL”). The videocan also be identified with an image that represents the content orsubject matter of the video, so that the video can readily be identifiedwhen held in a collection of videos. Such identifiers as file names thatare useful in a computer file processing, storage and retrieval systemcan further identify the video. In addition or alternatively, theinvention can employ such identifiers as a file handle, a storagelocation, an interactive control, and a control object operatingaccording to the Component Object Model (COM).

In one aspect, the invention relates to a method of sharing a videosegment over a computer network. The network includes a receivingcomputer and a plurality of other computers including a destinationcomputer. The method includes the steps of (a) receiving at thereceiving computer the video segment sent over the computer network fromone of the plurality of other computers; (b) performing automatically atthe receiving computer, in response to a command received over thenetwork, the steps of (b1) assuring that the video segment is in astreaming video format; (b2) creating at least an identification tag forthe video segment to identify the video segment; (b3) storing the videosegment under the control of the receiving computer in the streamingvideo format; and (b4) returning the identification tag to the one ofthe plurality of other computers; (c) receiving the identification tagat the receiving computer; and (d) in response to the receipt of theidentification tag at the receiving computer, streaming the videosegment in the streaming video format over the network to thedestination computer.

In one embodiment, the method further includes causing the video segmentto be displayed at the destination computer. In one embodiment, thevideo segment comprises an image with associated audio information. Inone embodiment, the video segment comprises a still image. The computernetwork can include one of a wire connection, a cellular communicationconnection, a wireless networking connection, and a terrestrialsatellite communication connection.

In one embodiment, step (a) comprises receiving the video segment whichincludes an identifier. In one embodiment, the identifier comprises aselected one of an image, a file handle, a storage location, an address,a Universal Resource Locator (URL), a file name, an interactive control,and a control object operating according to the Component Object Model(COM). In one embodiment, step (a) comprises receiving the video segmentwhich is sent in association with an electronic mail message. In oneembodiment, step (a) comprises receiving the video segment which is sentin association with a HyperText Markup Language (HTML) mail message. Inone embodiment, step (a) comprises receiving the video segment which issent in association with an upload form residing on a World Wide Web(Web) page. In one embodiment, step (a) comprises receiving the videosegment which is sent in association with a File Transfer Protocol (FTP)transfer. In one embodiment, step (a) comprises receiving the videosegment which includes information supplied by a sender at the one ofthe plurality of other computers. The information can includeinformation describing a streaming format into which the receivingcomputer converts the video segment. The information can include anidentification of the sender. In one embodiment, the identification ofthe sender comprises a proper name. In one embodiment, theidentification of the sender comprises a username. In one embodiment,the identification of the sender comprises a password.

In one embodiment, the information comprises a return address of thesender. The return address can be an e-mail address. In one embodiment,the information comprises an identifier of the video segment. Theidentifier can be a title. The identifier can be a name. The identifiercan be a date the video segment was produced. The identifier can be alocation relating to the video segment. The identifier can be a subjectrelating to the video segment.

In one embodiment, the information comprises a comment about the videosegment. In one embodiment, the information comprises a period of timeduring which the video segment will be available. In one embodiment, theinformation comprises information relating to a priority order ofprocessing a video segment by the receiving computer.

In one embodiment, the information comprises an instruction fortransmittal of a response. The instruction can include a formattinginstruction. The instruction can include a speed of transmission. Theinstruction can include a transmission protocol to be used. Theinstruction can include a format of a physical medium to be used insending a physical machine-readable copy of the video segment. Theinstruction can include a resolution of the video segment. Theinstruction can include an image quality of the video segment. Theinstruction can include a display format of the video segment on adestination computer.

In one embodiment, the information comprises financial information. Thefinancial information can include a credit card number. The financialinformation can include a financial account identifier.

In one embodiment, step (b1) comprises converting the video segment, ifit is not in a streaming video format at the time of receipt by thereceiving computer, to a streaming video format, independent of areceived command to perform such conversion. In one embodiment, step(b1) comprises automatically converting the video segment from a firststreaming video format characteristic of the video segment upon receiptat the receiving computer to a second streaming video format.

In one embodiment, the method further comprises queuing a second videosegment and a command transmitted with the second video segment forprocessing by the receiving computer according to steps (b) through (d)in the event that the receiving computer is performing any of steps (b)through (d) in response to receipt of a first video segment. In oneembodiment, the method further comprises providing to a sender of avideo segment an estimate of a duration of the required processing timefor the conversion of the video segment. The estimate is provided priorto performing any of steps (b) through (d).

In one embodiment, the method further comprises providing to thedestination computer of a video segment an estimate of a duration of therequired processing time for the conversation of the video segment. Inone embodiment, the video segment is converted into multiple videoformats. The multiple video formats can include a format not compatiblewith streaming video. In one embodiment, the identification tag receivedby the destination computer is communicated by the receiving computer inassociation with one of an electronic mail message, an HTML electronicmail message, and an instant message. The identification tag can be ahyperlink provided in the message sent to the destination computer, thehyperlink pointing to a Web page that causes the streaming of the video.In one embodiment, the video segment in streaming video format isstreamed from the receiving computer as information embedded in amessage. In one embodiment, in response to the receipt of theidentification tag at the receiving computer, the video segment in afirst streaming video format is converted into a video segment in asecond streaming format by the receiving computer, and the video segmentin the second video format is streamed to the destination computer. Inone embodiment, the receiving computer streams the video segment in aformat of the available streaming video formats, the format based on aselected one of the receiving computer responding to user settings atthe destination computer, the receiving computer responding to displaysoftware installed on the destination computer, the receiving computerresponding to information received in association with the receipt ofthe identification tag, and the receiving computer determining anoptimal viewing format for the destination computer of the formatsavailable. In one embodiment, the receiving computer sends to thedestination computer a video segment that is not in streaming formatprior to the display of the video segment.

In another aspect, the invention features a computerized system forsharing a video over a computer network, comprising a receiving computerfor communicating with one or more other computers over a computernetwork including a destination computer, the receiving computerreceiving a video segment from at least one of the one or more othercomputers, the receiving computer responsive to a communication from theone or more other computers that can activate the receiving computerautomatically, the receiving computer comprising: (i) a control modulethat controls a memory, the memory capable of holding computerinstructions and data; (ii) a receiving module that receives a messageassociated with the video segment sent from the at least one of the oneor more other computers; (iii) an analyzer module that determineswhether the video segment is in a streaming video format; (iv) a formatconversion module that converts a format of the video segment to aformat that is compatible with streaming video; (v) a storage modulethat stores the video segment in streaming video format in the memorymodule; (vi) an identification module that creates the identificationtag identifying the video segment in streaming video format stored inthe memory module; (vii) a transmitter module that transmits over thenetwork the identification tag to a computer of the one or more othercomputers; and (viii) a sharing module that streams the video segment instreaming video format to the destination computer in response to areturn of the identification tag to the receiving computer.

In one embodiment, the system further comprises an extraction modulethat extracts from the received message the video segment andinformation sent with the video segment. In one embodiment, theinformation sent with the video segment comprises an identity of theuser of the computer of the one or more other computers. In oneembodiment, the information sent with the video segment comprises areturn address of the user of the computer of the one or more othercomputers. In one embodiment, the information sent with the videosegment comprises a title of the video segment. In one embodiment, theinformation sent with the video segment comprises an identifier of thevideo segment. In one embodiment, the information sent with the videosegment comprises a subject of the video segment. In one embodiment theinformation sent with the video segment comprises a date of creation ofthe video segment. In one embodiment, the information sent with thevideo segment comprises a description of the video segment.

In one embodiment, the analyzer module that determines whether the videosegment is in a streaming video format determines if the video segmentis in QuickTime format. In one embodiment, the analyzer module thatdetermines whether the video segment is in a streaming video formatdetermines if the video segment is in ASF format. In one embodiment, theanalyzer module that determines whether the video segment is in astreaming video format determines if the video segment is in WMF format.In one embodiment, the analyzer module that determines whether the videosegment is in a streaming video format determines if the video segmentis in MPEG format. In one embodiment, the analyzer module thatdetermines whether the video segment is in a streaming format determinesif the video segment is in Real Networks (Real) format. In oneembodiment, the analyzer module that determines whether the videosegment is in a streaming format determines if the video segment is inAVI format.

In one embodiment, the format conversion module that converts a formatof a video segment from a format that is not compatible with streamingvideo to a format that is compatible with streaming video comprises aformat conversion module that creates a Direct Show filter graph thatdecompresses the video file into an uncompressed AVI format file.

In one embodiment, the identification module that creates anidentification tag identifying the video segment in streaming videoformat stored in the memory module comprises a module that selects avideo frame from the video segment in streaming video format. In oneembodiment, the identification module that creates an identification tagidentifying the video segment in streaming video format stored in thememory module comprises a module that identifies a location where thevideo segment is stored. In one embodiment, the identification modulethat creates an identification tag identifying the video segment instreaming video format stored in the memory module comprises a modulethat identifies how the video segment can be accessed. In oneembodiment, the identification module that creates an identification tagidentifying the video segment in streaming video format stored in thememory module comprises a module that provides an image that representsthe subject matter of the video segment. In one embodiment, theidentification module that creates an identification tag identifying thevideo segment in streaming video format stored in the memory modulecomprises a module that generates a file name.

In one embodiment, the transmitter module that transmits over thenetwork the identification tag to at least one computer of the one ormore other computers comprises a module that transmits theidentification tag using an electronic mail message communicationprotocol. In one embodiment, the transmitter module that transmits overthe network the identification tag to at least one computer of the oneor more other computers comprises a module that transmits theidentification tag using a HyperText Markup Language (HTML) mail messagecommunication protocol. In one embodiment, the transmitter module thattransmits over the network the identification tag to at least onecomputer of the one or more other computers comprises a module thattransmits the identification tag using an upload form residing on aWorld Wide Web (Web) page. In one embodiment, the transmitter modulethat transmits over the network the identification tag to at least onecomputer of the one or more other computers comprises a module thattransmits the identification tag using a File Transfer Protocol (FTP)transfer.

In one embodiment, the sharing module that streams the video segment instreaming video format to one computer of the one or more othercomputers in response to a return of the identification tag comprises amodule that streams the video segment to a specified computer. In oneembodiment, the sharing module that streams the video segment instreaming video format to one computer of the one or more othercomputers in response to a return of the identification tag comprises amodule that streams the video segment at a selected bitrate. In oneembodiment, the sharing module that streams the video segment instreaming video format to one computer of the one or more othercomputers in response to a return of the identification tag comprises amodule that streams the video segment at a selected transmissionquality. In one embodiment, the sharing module that streams the videosegment in streaming video format to one computer of the one or moreother computers in response to a return of the identification tagcomprises a module that streams the video segment at a selectedperformance level. In one embodiment, the sharing module that streamsthe video segment in streaming video format to one computer of the oneor more other computers in response to a return of the identificationtag comprises a module that streams the video segment in a selectedformat.

The foregoing and other objects, aspects, features, and advantages ofthe invention will become more apparent from the following descriptionand from the claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

The objects and features of the invention can be better understood withreference to the drawings described below, and to the claims. Thedrawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead generally beingplaced upon illustrating the principles of the invention. In thedrawings, like numerals are used to indicate like parts throughout thevarious views.

FIG. 1A is a diagram of an embodiment of the invention, showing therelationships between the components and their interactions with eachother and with a sender and a viewer.

FIG. 1B shows illustrative embodiments of the invention, and describesthe activities that occur in the various components.

FIG. 1C is a diagram showing software modules that are resident on oneor more of the mail server B 21, the processing server C 30, and thestreaming server D 40, according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 1D shows an embodiment of a process and system according to theinvention.

FIG. 2 is an embodiment of a system according to the invention,including the interactions and interrelationships within the system.

FIG. 3 is a functional block and flow diagram of an embodiment of theinvention.

FIG. 4 is a login screen on a user's computer, in one embodiment of theinvention.

FIG. 5 is a record/playback screen as seen by the user, in accordancewith an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 6A is a flow diagram of an embodiment of the invention in whichsoftware automates a number of steps in connection with the uploading ofa video segment.

FIG. 6B is a flow diagram of another embodiment of the invention inwhich software automates a number of steps in connection with theuploading of a video segment.

FIG. 6C is a flow diagram of an embodiment of the invention in whichsoftware automates a number of steps in connection with the formattingof a video segment.

FIG. 6D shows the relationship of some of the files created in the flowdiagram of FIG. 6C.

FIG. 6E is a flow diagram of a method by which an optimally formattedvideo segment is sent to a user according to the invention.

FIG. 7 is a screen as seen by the user, the screen indicating that fileprocessing is occurring.

FIG. 8 is an interactive screen used to determine the desires of theindividual who sends a video for storage.

FIG. 9 is a video playback screen seen by the user.

FIG. 10 is a screen used by the user to control the status of a videoqueue.

FIG. 11 is a screen used by the user to control the operational settingsof equipment associated with the user's computer.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the description presented below, there are references to software andsoftware modules. One of ordinary skill in the computer arts understandsthat any functionality that can be operable by the use of software canalso be made to operate by the use of firmware, such as software,commands, logic or data encoded on a chip, and equally by the use ofhardware, such as a hard-wired circuit that is designed to perform aspecific task. It is also possible to provide some of the functionalityby use of software modules, and some of the functionality by use offirmware modules and/or hardware modules. In general, a module is anassemblage of one or more parts of software, firmware, and/or hardwarethat accomplishes a defined function or task.

Turning to FIG. 1A, a sender (“sender A”) using a computer 10 sends avideo segment in file form and any associated audio material (or aplurality of still images with their associated audio files) as, forexample, an e-mail attachment to an e-mail message from sender A'scomputer 10 over a network (such as the Internet or over any othercommunication medium that sender A's computer 10 can employ) to a mailserver B 21. The network can include one or more of a wire connectionsuch as a hardwired connection, a cable connection using RS232, RS422 orRS 485 technology, and telephonic connections or cable connection usinga modem. The network can include one or more wireless connections suchas a cellular communication connection, an infrared connection, awireless Local Area Network (LAN) and Bluetooth technology. The networkcan include a terrestrial satellite communication connection.

The mail server B 21 performs various parsing and file recognitionprocesses, described in greater detail below. The mail server B 21 is inbidirectional communication with a processing server C 30. The functionsof the mail server B 21 can be performed by one or more servercomputers, and the functions of the processing server C 30 can beperformed by one or more server computers. In some embodiments, the mailserver B 21 and the processing server C 30 can be implemented on thesame one or more server computers.

The processing server C 30 performs various video and file conversionand identification processes, described in more detail below. Theprocessing server C 30 is in bidirectional communication with astreaming server D 40. The functions of the streaming server D 40 can beperformed by one or more server computers. The streaming server D 40receives the video in streaming video format from the processing serverC 30, and returns to the processing server C 30 at least one videoidentifier that can be used to request the video to be streamed to aviewer. The streaming server D 40 includes machine-readable storage 50,such as one or more of a hard disk, a CD-ROM, and a semiconductormemory. The machine-readable storage 50 (a single example of which isshown for simplicity) is in communication with one or more databases 60,61 (only two of which are shown for simplicity). Each ofmachine-readable storage 50 and the databases 60, 61 can be local orremote, in that each can be implemented as a component that is connecteddirectly to the streaming server D 40, or each can be connected to thestreaming server D 40 by way of a network

The streaming server D 40 also creates one or more identifiers for thevideo file. The identifiers, which are discussed in more detail below,can include, for example, one or more of an image identifier (forexample, a “thumbnail” or iconic image), an identification tag, a filehandle, a storage location, an address such as a Universal ResourceLocator (URL), a file name, or an interactive control, or a controlobject operating according to the Component Object Model (COM), forexample an Active X control. The streaming server D 40 transmits thevideo in streaming video format to the machine-readable storage 50,which, at the direction of the streaming server D 40, can store thevideo in streaming video format and also can store an identification tagfor the video on itself or on the databases 60, 61. The identificationtag, or another identifier of the video, such as the thumbnail and/orthe URL, is communicated back to the sender A's computer 10 by way ofone or more of the streaming server D 40, the processing server C 30,and the mail server B 21. The operator of sender A's computer 10 canthen use the identifier to request that the video be streamed to senderA's computer 10 for viewing, and/or the operator of sender A's computer10 can provide the identifier to another viewer, for example, by way ofa Web page, or by an e-mail. In one embodiment, the identification tagcan be embedded in a Web page so that a visitor to the Web page canactivate the identification tag, such as a link to a URL, and cantransmit to the receiving computer the information required to cause thestreaming of the video segment to the computer of the Web page visitorfor viewing. In the case of an identifier such as a URL, the operator ofsender A's computer 10 additionally can communicate the identifierorally or in writing to another viewer. The other viewer can then usethe identifier to request that the video be streamed from the streamingserver D 40 to his or her computer for viewing.

Turning to FIG. 1B, the system and method are described in more detailin a number of alternative exemplary embodiments. The video sent bysender A's computer 10 (whether sent by e-mail, by HTML message, by useof a Web page, or by some similar or other mechanism operating over anetwork) can include additional information provided by the user ofsender A's computer 10. This additional information includes, but is notlimited to, the identification of the user of sender A's computer 10(such as a proper name or a username and password registered with theserver computer), the electronic return address of the user of senderA's computer 10 (such as an e-mail address), a title or an identifierfor the video (such as a name, a date produced, a location, or a subjectrelating to the video that the user of sender A's computer 10 willrecognize), a description of the video and/or other comments by the userof sender A's computer 10 about the video, a description of how aresponse should be transmitted and/or formatted (e.g., e-mail, Web pagecontaining the video, HTML e-mail with the video embedded, and thelike), and any other information that may help to identify the user ofsender A's computer 10 and/or the video.

In an embodiment in which the video is submitted by standard e-mail orHTML e-mail 1200, the information that the user of sender A's computer10 provides is in general standard information that the e-mail formatsupports. The identity 1220 of the user of sender A's computer 10 andthe return address 1240 of the user of sender A's computer 10 isautomatically provided as part of the e-mail. The title or identifier ofthe video (e.g., name and subject matter) 1230 preferably can beprovided as the subject of the e-mail, or alternatively within the bodyof the e-mail, or as an attachment such as a text file. The descriptionof the video and/or other comments by the user of sender A's computer 10preferably can be provided in the body of the e-mail. Alternatively, thedescription and/or other information related to the video or to the userof sender A's computer 10 can be provided as part of the subject line ofthe e-mail, in the body of the e-mail message, or as an attachment tothe e-mail message. The video (and optionally audio) material is sent asan attachment 1250 to the e-mail. The recipient of the e-mail andattached video appears as the addressee 1210.

In another embodiment in which the video is submitted by HTML form ormessage 1300, or by use of a Web page, the server computer 1400 providesa form which has specific interactive spaces or dialog boxes for eachpiece of information, including the identity of the user of sender A'scomputer 10 and the return address 1320 of the user of sender A'scomputer 10, the title of the video 1310 and/or identifier of the video,and the description 1330 of the video and/or other comments. The HTMLmessage or the Web page can also have space for additional information1350, as well as optional information that the user of sender A'scomputer 10 desires to submit.

The additional information can include, but is not limited to, paymentinformation (e.g., credit card number, account number, or the like),specifications such as resolution and/or image quality desired by theuser of sender A's computer 10, and optional services desired, such asthe provision of the files in some additional optional form, such asrecorded on CD-ROM and sent to the user of sender A's computer 10 bypostal service.

The optional information can also include information indicating thestreaming video format that the video segment should be converted into,information about the resolution, transmission bitrate, and videoquality of the streaming video format that is desired, and a period oftime that the video segment should remain available. In one embodiment,an instruction includes a display format of the video segment to bedisplayed on a destination computer, such as information about the sizeof the display in pixels or in linear measure such as inches orcentimeters, information about what portion of the screen is to be used,such as the location on the screen, or whether the full-screen is to beused, and the like. In one embodiment, the sender A using computer 10 isable to set priorities about which video segments should be processedfirst by the receiving computer. The form can include a browse button1340 that allows the user of sender A's computer 10 to browse a driveand its directories/subdirectories or other file storage location tomore easily locate a file to be sent. The browse button 1340 alsoactivates a series of computer commands that automatically retrieve andattach the file to be sent to the HTML form.

In an embodiment (not shown) in which the video is submitted by FTP, theserver computer 1400 parses the various parts of the FTP message, forexample by identifying images as one of the various image file formats,by identifying audio files as one of the many audio file formats, and byidentifying and parsing text files.

The system and method include functions that take place at the servercomputer 1400 in FIG. 1B. The server computer 1400 can be implementedusing one or more server computers. The capabilities that the servercomputer 1400 provides include all of the capabilities of the mailserver B 21, the processing server C 30, the streaming server D 40, themachine-readable storage 50, and the databases 60, 61 described in FIG.1A. These capabilities include, but are not limited to, performing thefunctions of: receiving the transmission of a video file, optionallywith one or more audio files, in e-mail, HTML message, Web page format,or FTP upload to the server computer (“receive information” at box1405); extracting from the received message the video and all of theinformation sent with the video, including but not limited to, theidentity of the user of sender A's computer 10, the return address ofthe user of sender A's computer 10, the title of the video or identifierof the video (such as subject, place, date, or the like), thedescription and/or other comments, optional additional information, aswell as information that the user of sender A's computer 10 desires tosubmit (“take information” at box 1410). The server computer 1400performs functions that are described in detail in the discussion belowwith respect to one or more computer programs, (collectively) called theVideoShare Producer, that operate on a user's computer, such as apersonal computer. In the present invention, many of the functionsdescribed in detail for the VideoShare Producer are performed by one ormore computer programs that operate on the server computer 1400. Thesefunctions, steps, or operations include, but are not limited to:determining whether the video is already in a format compatible withstreaming video (“define if video is streaming compatible format” at box1420); if the video is not in a format compatible with streaming video,automatically converting the video into a format that is compatible withstreaming video (No at box 1422 and “convert to format compatible withstreaming video” at box 1425); passing the video to the next processstep if it is already in streaming video format (Yes at box 1430);optionally compressing the video in streaming video format; creating anidentification tag for the video in streaming video format; storing acopy of the video in streaming video format in an archivalmachine-readable storage 50; recording in a database 60, 61 theidentification tag and the storage location of the stored copy of thevideo in streaming video format for later retrieval; creating one ormore identifiers, such as a “thumbnail,” a URL, a file handle, or a filename for the video and recording the one or more identifiers; sending atleast one of the one or more identifiers to sender A's computer 10 ofthe video at box 1440; and upon a request in the form of a return of theidentifier back to the server at box 1450, serving the video instreaming video format in response to the request at 1460 to the sourceof the request. In another embodiment, the request to stream the videosegment comes from a computer other than that of the sender A of thevideo segment, and the streaming video is then served to the computerother than that of the sender A. In addition to the processes justdescribed, the methods and systems of the invention can also convert thevideo segment from a first streaming video format to a second streamingvideo format, differing from the first streaming video format in atleast one of a file format, an encoding scheme, a resolution, an imagequality, a transmission rate, and a file size. In some embodiments, avideo segment is converted into a plurality of different formats,differing in one or more of the properties enumerated above, such as thefile format, the file transmission quality and bitrate, and the like. Insome embodiments, the conversion of a video segment from one streamingvideo format to a different streaming video format is performed inresponse to a request for the video segment to be streamed in a specificformat.

The discussion below describes how a video can be examined to determineif it is or is not in a format compatible with streaming video format.The discussion below describes the kinds of conversion that are done toconvert a video that is not in a format compatible with streaming videoformat to a format that is compatible. The discussion below describesthe optional compression of a video segment. The discussion belowdescribes the creation of an identification tag for a video and the useof the identification tag. The discussion below describes storing avideo in uncompressed or in compressed streaming video format, eitherlocally or remotely from the storage of the server computer. Thediscussion below describes recording in a database the identificationtag and the storage location of the stored copy of the video instreaming video format for later retrieval. The discussion belowdescribes creating one or more identifiers for the video and recordingthe one or more identifiers. The discussion below describes sending atleast one of the one or more identifiers to the sender of the video. Thediscussion below describes serving the video in streaming video formatin response to requests to serve the video.

In communicating over a network, a file can be transmitted along withinformation about the file between computers either through an e-mailattachment, by using an FTP client-server program, or by using an uploadmechanism placed on the Web. In one embodiment, the systems and methodsof the invention can optionally convert a video in one streaming videoformat to a second streaming video format, as indicated by the arrowlabeled “optional” that points from box 1430 to box 1425. In oneembodiment, if the segment is not in streaming format at the time it isreceived by the receiving computer, the receiving computer willautomatically convert it into streaming format. In one embodiment, evenif the video segment is in streaming format upon receipt at thereceiving computer, the receiving computer automatically converts thevideo segment into another streaming video format. In some embodiments,the video segment can be converted into multiple video formats,including both formats compatible with streaming video and formats notcompatible with streaming video. In some embodiments, the destinationcomputer is notified that the segment is available in more than oneformat and that a user of the destination computer can select whicheverformat is preferred for the transmission.

In the case where the video segment is available into multiple formatsat the receiving computer, the format that will be used in streaming thevideo segment to the destination computer can be selected based oncriteria that exist at the destination computer, including thepossibility that the video segment should be downloaded to thedestination computer in a non-streaming format, and then displayed atthe destination computer when the entire video segment has beendownloaded.

While a viewer can select a video format, in the event that the viewerdoes not know which format to select, or in the event that a betterviewing experience would result, a suggested format can be communicatedto the receiving computer from the destination computer. Example of suchcommunications can include a default viewer setting, such as a defaultASF format, if available, and a secondary preference for a QuickTimeformat. In another embodiment, the receiving computer makes a formatrecommendation to the destination computer along with the transmissionof the identification tag. Such a recommendation can, for example, be acommunication that of the various streaming video formats available(which can be enumerated) a particular format is suggested as thepreferred format. The receiving computer can also determine a format forstreaming a video segment in response to information that the receivingcomputer obtains about the display software that is installed on thedestination computer, and the receiving computer can then recommend aformat for which the destination computer already has display software.Another alternative is to determine a streaming video format that willprovide an optimal viewing quality. Viewers who do not have appreciabletechnical information regarding streaming video formats will be affordedguidance as to which one to use. This format detection mechanism is verysimilar to the speed detection mechanism described elsewhere in thisapplication.

The systems and methods of the present invention use convention methodsfor such activity. The system and method of the present inventionextract from the received message the video and all of the informationsent with the video, including but not limited to, the identity of thesender (e.g., the user of sender A's computer 10), the sender's returnaddress, the title or identifier of the video, the description and/orother comments, optional additional information, as well as informationthat the sender desires to submit. In general, if one has knowledge ofthe syntax of the message that one has received, it is possible to parsethe message into its component parts. In an embodiment that relies onconventional transmission formats, such as e-mail, the message is parsedinto the component parts according to a set of parameters thatcorrespond to the default encoding of the message format. If suchparsing fails to disclose one or more components, a second morespecialized computer program can search for a string that corresponds toa title or identifier. For example, if the subject line is blank, thereappears to be no sender-supplied title or identifier, and the morespecialized program could look for a string having a format like“(words) at (words),” such as “(My family) at (the beach),” or the like.In an embodiment such as an HTML or Web page form, the parsing is directin that each dialog box has a prompt that the sender responds to, andthe content of each box is taken to be the requested information. Theserver computer can check some of the information provided, such as ane-mail address, for example by inquiring of the Internet ServiceProvider (ISP) server whether the address is valid. Information that isoptional, or information such as a title for a video, can be acceptedwithout the necessity to confirm the accuracy or validity of theinformation.

The server computer 1400 operates on the received message with the videoin the following manner, irrespective of whether the message is ine-mail, HTML mail, HTML Web page submission format, or FTP. The servercomputer 1400 recovers the video and each of the pieces of informationfrom the message. The server computer 1400 determines if the video is ina format compatible with streaming video, or not. If not, the servercomputer 1400 converts the video into a format compatible with streamingvideo format. The server computer 1400 takes that form of the video thatis compatible with streaming video format and optionally performscompression of the video. The server computer 1400 takes the video informat compatible with streaming video format, in uncompressed oroptionally compressed condition, and creates one or more identifiers,which can include a “thumbnail” image (described in the discussionbelow), a file name, a handle and the like, as well as other identifierssuch as a description of the video. The server computer 1400 creates anidentification tag, which it uses to identify the uncompressed oroptionally compressed video in streaming video format for storage andretrieval purposes. The server computer 1400 stores the uncompressed oroptionally compressed video in streaming video format locally orremotely in an archive. The server computer 1400 stores in a databasethe identification tag and the location of the uncompressed oroptionally compressed video in streaming video format. The servercomputer 1400 sends to the sender one or more of the identifiers of thevideo. The identifiers can be sent to the sender in one or moredifferent formats, including an identifier such as a Universal ResourceLocator (URL) that is associated with the stored uncompressed oroptionally compressed video in streaming video format; an e-mail withinformation relating to the location and/or command required to requestthat the video be streamed; the command to stream the video embedded inan e-mail or a HTML message; the command to stream the video embedded ina Web page, and the like. The information sent to the sender can includethe “thumbnail” image for ease of identification of the video and itssubject matter.

In some embodiments, if the receiving computer is already processing avideo segment at a time that another video segment is received, thesecond video segment and associated commands is queued to be processedlater. This involves queuing the video segment and any commandsassociated with the video segment in a storage location under thecontrol of the receiving computer. In some embodiments, if videosegments are queued under the control of the receiving computer, thevideo segments can be processed in an order based on a priority set bythe sending computer, a priority set by the receiving computer, oraccording to any other priority scheme, such as a calculation performedusing an algorithm, that is implemented on the receiving computer.

In some embodiments, the sender or the intended recipient at adestination computer is notified of an estimate of how long theprocessing of a video segment is going to take, before the video segmentis actually processed. The notification can be provided by any method,such as by a return email sent upon receipt of the video segment at thereceiving computer. As those familiar with the processing of videosegments will appreciate, converting a video into streaming format canbe time-consuming, and if many computers submit their videos at the sametime, some requests for service may take some time to process by thereceiving computer. In this case, it is important to be able to notifythe sender or the destination computer of an approximate amount of timethat providing the required service will take. This is similar, but byno means identical, to phone systems in which a caller is notified ofthe approximate waiting time until the next operator will be availableto respond to a call. In a system where a caller waits for a response bya human operator, who speaks with other callers, there is only astatistical possibility of defining a waiting time, because any call maybe longer or shorter than an average, or expected, duration. In themethods and systems of the invention, a calculated estimate of aprocessing time can be provided based on the file size and the format ofa video segment. For example, knowing the processing speed of a CPU, andan estimate of the time or the number of processing operations requiredto convert a file of a predetermined format and size, a file having agiven size of the same format could be expected to require a timeproportional to the ratio of the file sizes, to a first approximation.

In some embodiments, the identification tag is communicated to thedestination computer by the receiving computer in association with oneof an electronic mail message, an HTML electronic mail message, and aninstant message, such as a message communicated among members of anaffinity group of computer users who are contemporaneously on-line. Inone embodiment, the identification tag is an hyperlink provided in themessage sent to the destination computer, the hyperlink pointing to aWeb page that causes the streaming of the video.

The sender of the video can request that the video be streamed to thesender, and the sender can additionally, or alternatively, provide theinformation needed to request the server to stream the video to one ormore other viewers. When the sender of the video, or a party who hasbeen given the requisite information, sends to the server computer arequest to stream of the video, the server computer streams the video tothe requester. It can also automatically submit the video to a thirdparty service including but not limited to on-line auctions, on-lineresume services, on-line dating services, or on-line customer supportcenters.

FIG. 1C is a diagram 1500 showing software modules that are resident onone or more of the mail server B 21, the processing server C 30, and thestreaming server D 40. The software modules perform specific tasks. Theservers 21, 30, 40 are interconnected by a network 22 with amachine-readable memory, such as storage array 64, upon which software,including software modules, can be recorded and retrieved for use by theservers 21, 30, 40. The software modules are described below.

A control module 1510 controls a memory, which can be any conventionalmachine-readable memory such as RAM, magnetic memory, or optical memory.The control module 1510 can store and retrieve information from thememory. The memory is capable of holding computer instructions and data,and as indicated above, can be located locally with respect to any ofthe servers, or remotely from the servers, but in any event the memoryis accessible over the computer network 22.

A receiving module 1520 can receive both a video segment and anassociated message. The video segment and the associated message can besent from any one of the one or more other computers in the network 22with which the servers 21, 30, 40 communicate. The receiving module 1520can determine that the video segment and the associated message havebeen received correctly, and that the files are complete, for example byuse of error detection and correction technology such as cyclicredundancy checking (CRCs) and coding.

An analyzer module 1530 determines whether the received video segment isin a streaming video format. The determination of a format can becarried out by comparing the format to known format characteristics andformat identifiers. The analyzer module 1530 can determine whether theformat of the video segment is a particular format including, but notlimited to, such formats as QuickTime format, ASF format, WMF format,MPEG format, a Real Networks (Real) format, an AVI format, anuncompressed AVI format, and formats not compatible with streamingvideo.

A format conversion module 1540 converts a format of the video segmentto a format that is compatible with streaming video. The formatconversion can be a conversion from a format not compatible withstreaming video to a format compatible with streaming video, aconversion from a format not compatible with streaming video to adifferent format not compatible with streaming video, a conversion froma format compatible with streaming video to a different formatcompatible with streaming video, or a conversion from a formatcompatible with streaming video to a format not compatible withstreaming video. The format conversion can be performed by subjecting afile having a known format to a transformation that prepares anadditional file encoded according to a second known format. Suchtransformations are generally algorithmic in nature.

A storage module 1550 stores the video segment in streaming video formatin the memory that is under the control of the servers 21, 30, 40,control being exerted by way of the control module 1510.

An identification module 1560 creates an identification tag identifyingthe video segment in streaming video format that is stored in thememory. As indicated below, the identification tag can take many forms,including a hyperlink provided in the message sent to the destinationcomputer, the hyperlink pointing to a Web page that causes the streamingof the video. The identification module 1560 can select a video framefrom the video segment in streaming video format as an identificationtag. The identification module 1560 can identify a location where thevideo segment is stored. The identification module 1560 can identify howthe video segment can be accessed. The identification module 1560 canprovide an image that represents the subject matter of the videosegment. The identification module 1560 can generate a file name.

A transmitter module 1570 transmits over the network 22 or anothernetwork such as the Web the identification tag to a computer of the oneor more other computers. The transmitter module 1570 can transmit theidentification tag using an electronic mail message communicationprotocol. The transmitter module 1570 can transmit the identificationtag using a HyperText Markup Language (HTML) mail message communicationprotocol. The transmitter module 1570 can transmit the identificationtag using an upload form residing on a World Wide Web (Web) page. Thetransmitter module 1570 can transmit the identification tag using a FileTransfer Protocol (FTP) transfer.

A sharing module 1580 streams the video segment in streaming videoformat to the destination computer in response to a return of theidentification tag to the receiving computer. The video segment isstreamed over the network 22 or another network such as the Web. Thesharing module 1580 can stream the video segment to a specifiedcomputer. The sharing module 1580 can stream the video segment at aselected bitrate. The sharing module 1580 can stream the video segmentat a selected transmission quality. The sharing module 1580 can streamthe video segment at a selected performance level. The sharing module1580 can stream streams the video segment in a selected format.

In this document there are references to methods and systems thatoperate on the computer of the user. There are references to softwarecalled Videoshare Producer that operates on the computer of a user. Itshould be understood that any system, process or capability that can becarried out on the user's computer in relation to the VideoShareProducer software can equally well be carried out on a host computerthat includes one or more server computers that communicate over anetwork such as the Web with other computers. That is, any processperformed on a user computer by software such as the VideoShare Producercan also be performed on a host computer that includes servers.

This document makes reference to processing of a video file on the usercomputer before the video file is uploaded to a host computer. It shouldbe understood that it is also possible to upload the video file withoutperforming all of the processing described at the user computer, butrather performing the processing at the host computer after the videohas been uploaded.

Referring to FIG. 1D, a user of the system, such as a private individualworking from home, or a professional working from a business, employs acomputer system 10. The computer system 10 can include a computer whichcan be a personal computer of conventional type such as a desktop orlaptop computer, a hand held device such as a PDA, or a more powerfulcomputer such as a workstation, a server, a minicomputer, a mainframe,or the like. The computer system 10 can operate software including a webbrowser such as Microsoft Internet Explorer or Netscape Navigator orCommunicator or the like, for communication over a network such as theInternet using the World Wide Web (hereinafter “the Web”), or to permitwireless communication. The computer system 10 can operate software thatcan manipulate video segment files. The computer system 10 cancommunicate with video sources, such a video cameras and video recordingmachines, if the user wishes to employ such sources. Conventionalcommercially available personal computers typically have sufficientcapability to meet these requirements. The computer system 10 can alsoemploy video segments generated digitally by the computer andappropriate software, or by another computer, if the user wishes toemploy such techniques. In one embodiment, the computer system 10operates a software package called VideoShare Producer 20, which will bedescribed and explained in more detail below.

The VideoShare Producer 20 is a software application package that theuser can download from the Web site www.VideoShare.com 50 or that theuser can obtain in other formats such as on a CD-ROM or bundled withother software or hardware. The VideoShare Producer 20 software can beoperated by the user under his control on his computer, in the computersystem 10, in order to provide the capability of recording, converting,and optionally, compressing video segments, creating one or moreidentifiers for a video segment, and transmitting a video segment withone or more of the identifiers to a host computer 60 operating under thecontrol of a host such as www.VideoShare.com 50 for storage at alocation under the control of the host computer 60. The host computer 60will be described further below.

The computer in the computer system 10 of the user one can be connectedto one or more kinds of equipment for generating video segments, such asa video camera such as a Web cam 12 or another type of video camera suchas a professional quality video camera. The computer in the computersystem 10 of the user can be connected to one or more kinds of equipmentfor providing prerecorded video segments, such as a video recorder 14,or another computer that can create digital video segments through theuse of suitable software, such as for example digital video segmentsthat have been created for various commercial films, or the like. Oncethe user has obtained a video segment, and has manipulated it accordingto the procedures described below with regard to the operation of theVideoShare software package, or its equivalent, the video segment withone or more identifiers is transmitted to the host computer 60.

The host computer 60 includes one or more server computers 62, 62′, 62″that communicate over a network such as the Web with other computers,such as the computer in the user's computer system 10. The one or moreserver computers 62, 62′, 62″ also communicate with a storage array 64,or optionally with a plurality of storage arrays substantially similarto storage array 64. The storage array 64 can be any convenient storagesystem, such as a redundant array of magnetic storage disks, one or morereadable and writeable CD-ROMs, random access semiconductor memory, anycombination of such storage devices, or the like. In one embodiment, thehost computer 60 operates the www.VideoShare.com 50 Web site, andprovides a video hosting service to one or more users. The host computer60 can connect over the Web and the web site www.VideoShare.com 50 toone or more computers that comprise the Web, conceptually denoted by thebox 70, which, while not a part of the www.VideoShare.com 50 Web site,appears to be transparent to users of the www.VideoShare.com 50 Website, as well as to viewers of video segments that are being hosted bythe host computer 60.

Viewers, or individuals who desire, or are invited, to view videosegments hosted on the host computer 60, can access video segmentshosted on the host computer 60. As will be described in more detailbelow, in one embodiment, video segments can be hosted on host computer60 in areas that are open to the public, or can be hosted in other areasthat are open only to viewers who have the appropriate permission orauthorization to view a specific video segment. A hosted video segmentthat is stored and controlled by the host computer 60 may be deliveredto and displayed for a viewer in a variety of formats, and through avariety of methods, as denoted generally by the box 80. In differentembodiments, a video segment can be displayed as: a video greeting card81, such as a person wishing another a happy birthday; as video email82, as video that can be viewed on a remote website 83 (e.g., a videosegment embedded into the remote website so that a viewer who visits theremote website sees the video segment as part of the page that ispresented); as video commerce 84, for example a video that depicts aperson describing his or her experience and training as part of a resumesubmitted on-line; or as a video advertisement 85, for example a videodepicting the benefits or showing the use of a product. Many other likeapplications of the technology can be envisioned. In variousembodiments, the video segment can be made available to the viewer as astreaming video that is sent to the viewer, or may be made available bysending the viewer a message such as an email that contains an addressof a location to visit on the Web (e.g., a Universal Resource Locator,or URL), or may be made available by sending the viewer a message thatcontains an embedded link to a URL, for example by sending an e-mailcontaining the link or by sending a still image that may have someinterest to a viewer (e.g., sending a grandmother a still image of hergrandchildren) to which a link is attached (e.g., the still image islinked to a streaming video of the grandchildren that is delivered andthat plays when the still image is clicked). In the latter two methodsof making a video segment available, or in like methods, the viewer musttake some action, such as employing the URL or activating the link. Insome embodiments, the viewer can use a hand held device such as a PDA ora cellular telephone that can connect to a network such as the Internetto view the video segment.

In FIG. 2, the computer 16 of the user's computer system 10 is shown.The box 18 is intended to schematically depict a user of a computervideo input device, which device can be the computer 16 operatingsuitable software to generate digital video, or can be another suchcomputer, or can be the web cam or video camera 12, or can be the videorecording device 14, or the like. The user begins by producing and/orrecording a video segment on the hard disk of the computer 16 or withinthe temporary memory of a handheld device. As a second step, the videosegment of step 1 can optionally be compressed and/or can be changed asregards the computer file format in which it is recorded on the harddisk. As a third step, the video segment recorded on the hard drive ofthe computer 16 is transmitted with one or more identifiers to the hostcomputer 60 that includes the VideoShare servers 62, 62′ and the storagearray 64. The video segment is stored under the control of the hostcomputer 60, which can generate an identification tag that the hostcomputer 60 can use to locate the stored video segment for retrieval andfor viewing. In different embodiments, the identification tag can beprovided to a user in the form of a URL, or can be embedded into a Webpage on a remote site, or can be linked to a message. In one embodimentthe message can be a still image that can be selected from the videosegment. The third step is schematically depicted by the arrow pointinggenerally from the computer 16 to the VideoShare servers 62, 62′. As afourth step, the user who stored the video can send a message to anintended viewer, so that the viewer can access and view the videosegment. The fourth step is schematically depicted by the arrow pointinggenerally from the computer 16 to the computer 90 of the viewer. The box92 is intended to schematically depict a user of a display device. Inone embodiment, the display device can be the computer 90, or thedisplay device can be a display device such as a Web TV, or can be avideo output device such as a television set with a suitable decoder, orthe like. The display device can also be a wireless hand held devicesuch as a PDA or a cellular telephone or the like. In a fifth step, theviewer activates the viewing of the video segment. The viewer's actionis indicated schematically by the arrow pointing generally from thecomputer 90 to the server computer 62, 62′. In one embodiment the vieweractivates a link by clicking a button, and the server computer 62, 62′responds by sending a streaming video segment that the viewer observe.The streaming video segment can in one embodiment be delivered as partof a video greeting card 81. In an alternative embodiment, the video canbe delivered as a streaming video directly to the viewer from the hostcomputer 60, without the viewer having to activate the host computer 60.

As shown in FIG. 3, the user can obtain a copy of the VideoShareProducer 20 software by downloading a copy of the software from theWebsite www.VideoShare.com 50, as indicated by the picture at numeral 1.Alternatively, the user can obtain a copy of the VideoShare Producer 20software on machine readable media such as a CD-ROM or the like. TheVideoShare Producer 20 software can be bundled with one or more utilityor application programs that are useful for a user to have, such as a“container” application so that the VideoShare Producer 20 software canbe operated on a desktop computer. The user can install the VideoShareProducer 20 software on his or her computer 16 and can register with theVideoShare.com hosting service at no charge. In registering for theVideoShare service, the user obtains a username and a password that canbe used to identify the user. The activity of installing the VideoShareProducer 20 software on the user's personal computer or the like andregistering with the VideoShare system is indicated by the picture atthe numeral 2.

In order to use the system, the user first obtains a video segment. Theuser can create the video segment, for example with a Web cam 12, or theuser can use an existing video segment obtained from a video recorder16, as indicated by the picture at the numeral 3. The VideoShareProducer 20 software has direct capture capabilities that permit theuser to create the video segment.

The user can employ the VideoShare Producer 20 software to optionallycompress the video; to determine if a video segment is in a format thatis compatible with streaming video; to convert the video to a fileformat that is compatible with streaming video if the video segment isnot already in a file format that is compatible with streaming video;and to transmit the video segment together with one or more identifiersthat represent selections that the user can make (for example, a stillimage selected from the series of images that comprise the videosegment, an identifier of the sender of the video segment (e.g., theuser), an access privilege associated with the video segment,information indicative of a time period during which the video segmentwill be accessible, and information indicative of a number of instancesthat the video segment may be accessed). The activities carried out inconjunction with the VideoShare Producer 20 software are generallyindicated by the graphic at numeral 4.

The video segment and the identifier(s) are transmitted to the hostcomputer 60 for storage and for later distribution. In one embodiment,the video segment is transmitted in a streaming video file format. Thistransmission activity is denoted by the graphic at numeral 5.

The video segment is stored under the control of the host computer 60,which can include one or more server computers 62 and storage array 64.The activity of receiving the video segment at the host computer 60 andstoring the video segment and its identifier(s) is denoted by thepictures at numeral 6.

Depending on the choice of the user as to access privileges, the videosegment can be stored as a publicly available video in a location instorage array 64 that has no restrictions on access, or it can be storedin a portion of storage array 64 that requires some form ofauthorization to enable access, such as in a private email account area.The storage of the video segment as a public or private video segment isdenoted by the pictures at numeral 7.

Upon request from a viewer who has the proper authorization, or upon anyrequest in the case of a video segment available publicly, the hostcomputer 60 sends the video in streaming video format to a viewer, whocan observe the video in real time using a conventional web browserwithout additional plug-in modules. The activity of serving the videosegment as a streaming video is denoted by the graphic at numeral 8.

The majority of the VideoShare Producer 20 software was developed as aWindows 95, Windows 98, and Windows 2000 (“Windows 9x/2000”) compatibleActiveX control (e.g. an .OCX file), with additional components existingas active template library (ATL) component object model (COM) componentsthat are instantiated during runtime. A “container application,” named“VideoProducer.exe,” allows the VideoShare Producer ActiveX Control tobe executed from the Windows 9x/2000 desktop. The VideoShare ProducerActive X Control can also be embedded into a web page, as is done withinthe www.VideoShare.com 50 web site.

The custom written VideoShare Producer 20 software includes thefollowing binary/source code components: (1) VideoShare Producer ActiveXControl (VideoProducer.ocx); (2) JPEG ATL COM component jpeg.dll); (3)Thumbnail Acquisition DirectShow (ThumbnailFilter.ax); (4) Extended MAPIinterface (MapiExAPI.dll); (5) ICQ interface (icqglue.dll); AND (6)VideoShare Upload/Database Server (vpserver.exe).

All components, except for significant portions of the JPEG componentthat uses public domain source code, were entirely written by VideoShareInc. The VideoShare Upload/Data Server constantly runs at the VideoShareHosting Facility, an embodiment of the host computer 60, with which aninstalled instance of the VideoShare Producer 20 software on a user'scomputer 16 can be in constant communication. The VideoShare Producer 20software client/server structure allows the user to upload videos to hisor her account through the “Save and Share” button that is describedlater.

The VideoShare Producer 20 software is built upon the followingthird-party technologies that provide lower-level device support,document sharing, and file format conversion: (1) Microsoft'sDirectShow; (2) Microsoft's Windows Media Technologies; (3) Microsoft'sVideo for Windows; (4) MAPI; AND (5) ICQ.

When the user launches the VideoShare Producer 20 software, he or shewill see the window depicted in FIG. 4 appear on his or her computer 16operating the Win9x/2000 operating system. The login screen can be madeoptional for repeat users by providing a unique identifier for the user,such as a password, or by installing on the user's computer or the likea record similar to the “cookies” used by some interactive computersystems operating on a network such as the Internet.

When the user enters in his or her username in the box 410 labeledVideoShare Login Name and his or her password in the box 415 labeledVideoShare Password and activates the “Start VideoShare Producer” button420, the VideoShare Producer 20 software opens a TCP/IP socketconnection to the VideoShare Upload/Database Server using port 80 inorder to avoid typical Firewall and/or Proxy Server problems. If the box430 labeled Remember password is checked, the VideoShare Producer 20software will remember the user's password, eliminating the necessity totype in that information each time the software is started. TheVideoShare Upload/Database Server then verifies the validity of theusername/password. Furthermore, the VideoShare Producer 20 software willnotify the user if there is a more recent version of the softwareavailable, giving him or her the opportunity to automatically downloadand install the new software.

Also at this point, the user can choose to work offline by checking box440 “Work offline”, which suspends communications to the VideoShareUpload/Database Server until the user has filled his or her “SharingQueue” as described later. The ability to work offline is principally ofuse for people with computers that do not have a continuously openInternet connection, e.g. computers that use telephone modems ratherthan high speed connections or equipment such as cellular telephones orhand held devices that require the user to dial in to establish aconnection. With this login dialog, the user can also receive help, byactivating the “Help” button 450, taking the user to a web page on theVideoShare web site. The login dialog box can also be used to create anew VideoShare user account, by clicking the “Create Another Account”button 460.

Once the login process has been completed, the VideoShare Producer 20software looks for available DirectShow audio and video capture devices.These available devices are enumerated and listed within the “SettingsTab” as described later. The VideoShare Producer 20 software initializesthe audio and video capture device, by recalling as a default the devicethat was used most recently.

VideoShare Producer Preview/Capture/Import Process

After the capture device initialization, the VideoShare Producer 20software displays the window depicted in FIG. 5.

The image 510 in the middle of the window is the video input stream fromthe initialized, default video capture source. The image in FIG. 5 isthat of an employee of the assignee of the present invention, in theoffices of the assignee. The VideoShare Producer 20 softwareautomatically builds a DirectShow “preview graph” where the video streamfrom the video device is displayed on the screen, but is not saved todisk. This gives the user the opportunity to adjust the camera, e.g. anopportunity to correct the camera position, the camera focus, the cameraangle, the magnification of the image, and the like.

At the top of this window, the user is presented with five different“tabs”, each presenting the user with different aspects of theVideoShare Producer 20 software. In FIG. 5, the tab labeled“Record/Playback” 520 is active, indicating that the VideoShare Producer20 software is ready to acquire and/or display a video segment.

At the bottom of the window, there is a status message 522 that displaysthe current operation of the VideoShare Producer 20 software. In FIG. 5,the status message 522 prompts the user to either activate the Recordbutton 531 to create a new video segment, or to import an existing videosegment by activating the Import Video button 535, both of which aredescribed in more detail below.

Directly below the video preview image 510 is a Capture/Playback ControlPanel 530 that includes the following items:

Record button 531 which begins a new audio/video capture;

Stop button 532 which terminates an active audio/video captureoperation;

Play button 533 which initiates the playing back of the last recorded orimported video;

Delete button 534 which cancels the last record or import operation andbegins a new video preview;

Import Video button 535 which allows the user to select a pre-existingvideo file from his or her hard drive;

Save and Share button 536, which in the present embodiment activatessoftware modules that convert the current video file into a compressedstreaming format, upload that converted file to the VideoShare web site,and give the user options to distribute that video to other people; and

Shuttle Bar 537 which is used to control the current position of theplayback file together with forward button 537 and reverse button 538,allowing the user to rewind and fast forward through the current video.

The software modules that operate upon the activation of Save and Sharebutton 536 will be covered in a subsequent section in this document indetail.

When the user begins to record a video, the VideoShare Producer 20software builds a new “Capture Graph” that renders the video stream toboth the display window as well as to a temporary AVI file on the user'shard drive. The audio/video capturing continues until the user activatesthe “Stop” button 532 at which point the VideoShare Producer 20 softwarestops the “Capture Graph”, destroys the DirectShow filter, builds aDirect Show “Playback Graph”, and displays the first frame of thecaptured video as video preview image 510. When the user activates thePlay button 533 the DirectShow “Playback Graph” is put into runningmode, playing back the entire recorded video from beginning to end.

The user can also choose to import a pre-existing video, which in oneembodiment can be a file format selected from the AVI, MPEG, orQuickTime file formats, by activating the Import Video button 535. TheVideoShare Producer 20 software automatically renders the correctDirectShow filter to display an imported video correctly.

Save and Share Process

Once a video segment has been recorded or imported into the user'scomputer 16 that is running the VideoShare Producer 20 software, theuser can choose to process the video segment with various optionalalternatives by activating the Save and Share button 536. When the Saveand Share button 536 is activated, the video segment is archived anddistributed automatically. The VideoShare Producer 20 software greatlysimplifies the entire process by seamlessly automating the followingsteps that are depicted in FIG. 6A:

Video file format conversion, as required;

Compression to a streaming multimedia format at a user-specifiedbitrate;

Creating a “Thumbnail” JPEG snapshot of the video file, as an identifierthat a user or a viewer can observe in order to assess the content ofthe video segment;

Transferring the resultant video and thumbnail files to the VideoShareserver computers 62, 62′;

Logging the transactions and managing the user's storage account,including causing the generation of an identification tag that theserver computers 62, 62′ can employ to retrieve the video segment forviewing; and

Automating several possible methods of distributing the video to thirdparty recipients, e.g., viewers.

FIG. 6A shows a flow diagram 600 of an embodiment of the invention inwhich the VideoShare Producer 20 software automates a number of steps inconnection with uploading a video segment by activation of the Save andShare button 536 described in FIG. 5. As indicated at box 605, a userfirst obtains and selects a video segment for processing fordistribution. The box 605 schematically encapsulates all of the actionsthat a user takes as described in relation to FIGS. 4 and 5 above. Whenthe user activates the Save and Share button 536 the actions describedbelow that are enclosed by the dotted line 607 are automatically carriedout under the control of the VideoShare Producer 20 software.

The VideoShare Producer 20 software subjects the selected video segmentto analysis to determine whether the selected video segment is or is notin a file format that is compatible with a streaming video format, asindicated at diamond 610. Formats that are compatible with streamingmedia formats include formats such as MPEGs and QuickTime videos. If theselected video segment is not compatible with a streaming video format,it is converted to a compatible format, as depicted by the arrow labeled“NO” that points from the diamond 610 to the box 615, “Convert tocompatible file format.” The conversion process performed by theVideoShare Producer 20 software creates a DirectShow filter graph thatdecompresses the video file into a temporary, uncompressed AVI file.

The video segment file in a format that is compatible with streamingvideo is then temporarily stored in the user's computer 16, for exampleas a file on the hard drive of computer 16. This storing step isperformed if the file was originally in a format compatible withstreaming video by following the arrow marked “YES” that points from thediamond 610 to the box 620, “Temporarily store file.” Alternatively, thestoring step is performed if the file was originally not in a formatcompatible with streaming video by following the arrow that points fromthe box 615 to the box 620.

The stored temporary file representing the selected video is thenanalyzed by the VideoShare Producer 20 software, as represented bydiamond 625, “Should file be compressed?” to determine if thetemporarily stored file should be compressed. If the software determinesthat the file should be compressed, as indicated by the arrow labeled“YES” that points from the diamond 625 to the box 630, labeled “Compressfile,” the file is compressed. The compression involves compressing thevideo file to a user-specified bitrate, or the bandwidth that isrequired to view the video without disruption in the transmission. Theuser can select the desired bitrate by using the “Settings Tab” that isdescribed in more detail below.

The file is then converted to a streaming multimedia format file asindicated by the box 635, labeled “Convert file to streaming multimediaformat (“SMF”) file,” as denoted by the arrow pointing from the box 630to the box 635. If the file is not to be compressed, the flow followsthe arrow labeled “NO” pointing from the diamond 625 to the box 635, andthe file is then converted to a streaming multimedia format file asschematically represented by the box 635.

The process that is performed by the VideoShare Producer 20 software asdenoted by the box 635 involves reading in the video file, frame byframe, and converting the video into a streaming multimedia format. Inone embodiment, the VideoShare Producer 20 software uses the WindowsMedia Streaming Format, known as ASF or WMF, but it is nottechnologically restricted to this choice. The Windows Media StreamingFormat comprises MPEG 4 v3 for the video stream and the Windows MediaAudio format for the audio stream. The output of this file is stored asa temporary file on the user's hard drive, in one embodiment.

The flow diagram indicates that the process makes a “thumbnail” of thevideo file, as represented schematically by the box 640, labeled “Createand temporarily store JPEG “thumbnail” identifier.” The VideoShareProducer 20 software produces a JPEG still image that is used as areference image to the entire video file. It is an identifier of thesubject matter or content of the video that a user or a viewer canreadily recognize, as compared to an alphanumeric string such as atypical string used to identify a file by its drive, directory (and oneor more subdirectories) and filename. Such alphanumeric identifiers areuseful, but may be totally uninformative as to the content or subjectmatter contained in the identified file or video segment. In oneembodiment, the VideoShare Producer 20 software creates the “thumbnail”by taking the “middle” image of the entire video file, as measured bythe temporal duration of the file. In another embodiment, the selectionof an image from which to make the “thumbnail” can be left to thediscretion of the user. This JPEG file is also stored as a temporaryfile on the user's hard drive, in one embodiment.

The next part of the process is the upload operation, in which theVideoShare Producer 20 software contacts the host computer 60, which inone embodiment is the VideoShare Upload/Database Server at theVideoShare hosting facility. This portion of the automated process isdenoted by the box 645 labeled “Transfer (“upload”) temporarily storedSMF file and JPEG thumbnail identifier to host computer 60.” TheVideoShare Producer 20 software notifies the host computer 60 that theuser wishes to place his or her video into a repository maintained bythe host computer 60, which in one embodiment can be the VideoShareVideoCenter, which is a repository of all recorded and uploaded videosto date. This upload is performed automatically using a direct TCP/IPsocket connection over a specific connection port of the user's computerknown as port 80. The VideoShare Producer 20 software uses a standardcommunications protocol to perform this transfer to the host computer60. In another embodiment, a proprietary protocol can be used, forexample if one wants to maintain the security of information containedin the video segment. In another embodiment, the video segment can beencrypted in order to provide enhanced security. Both the compressedvideo streaming multimedia file and the thumbnail image are uploaded atsubstantially the same time.

As schematically depicted by box 650, labeled “Delete temporary file toconserve storage space on user's computer,” the VideoShare Producer 20software removes all of the temporary files that were created in thecourse of the automated processing described above. This featureprovides for the user a convenient, secure, and transparent process,with the benefit that the user's computer storage device(s), for exampleone or more hard drives, do not become cluttered with unnecessary andobsolete files.

Once the upload has been completed, the VideoShare Producer 20 softwareand the host computer 60 (for example, the VideoShare Upload/DatabaseServer) will update the user's account to account for the requiredstorage space that the video requires. The necessary logging, creationof an identification tag, and storing of the video and the associatedidentifier or identifiers is also performed automatically, asschematically depicted by box 655.

The user can optionally add additional identification and controlinformation about the user, and about how and under what conditions thevideo is to be made available for distribution, as schematicallyindicated by box 660. The process by which some of this information iscollected is discussed below with regard to FIG. 8. The user isautomatically prompted to provide this information, but has the optionto forego making a decision immediately. The transmission of videosegment files to viewers is discussed in more detail below, and isrepresented in FIG. 6 by the box 670 labeled “Transmit file to viewer”which is outside the region 607 as an indication that the transmissionof files to viewers is an action beyond the material discussed above inconjunction with the Save and Share button 536 of FIG. 5.

FIG. 6B shows a flow diagram 601 of another embodiment of the inventionin which software automates a number of steps in connection withuploading a video segment. Many of the steps already described inconnection with FIG. 6A also occur in the embodiment depicted in FIG.6B, and are numbered in the same manner as in FIG. 6A. In FIG. 6B, thereis first an optional step indicated by the box 604 labeled “Optional:User authentication with server” in which the User is optionallyrequired to provide identification, such as a user name and password,that authenticates the identity of the user to the server or hostcomputer 60. The user then obtains and selects a video segment forprocessing for distribution, as indicated at box 605 that schematicallyencapsulates all of the actions that a user takes as described inrelation to FIGS. 4 and 5 above. When the user activates the Save andShare button 536 the actions described below that are enclosed by thedotted line 608 are automatically carried out under the control of theVideoShare Producer 20 software.

As discussed in relation to FIG. 6A, the VideoShare Producer 20 softwaresubjects the selected video segment to analysis to determine whether theselected video segment is or is not in a file format that is compatiblewith a streaming video format, as indicated at diamond 610. If theselected video segment is not compatible with a streaming video format,it is converted to a compatible format, as depicted by the arrow labeled“NO” that points from the diamond 610 to the box 615, “Convert tocompatible file format.” The conversion process performed by theVideoShare Producer 20 software creates a DirectShow filter graph thatdecompresses the video file into a temporary, uncompressed AVI file.

The video segment file in a format that is compatible with streamingvideo is then temporarily stored in the user's computer 16, for exampleas a file on the hard drive of computer 16. This storing step isperformed if the file was originally in a format compatible withstreaming video by following the arrow marked “YES” that points from thediamond 610 to the box 620, “Temporarily store file.” Alternatively, thestoring step is performed if the file was originally not in a formatcompatible with streaming video by following the arrow that points fromthe box 615 to the box 620.

The stored temporary file representing the selected video is thenanalyzed by the VideoShare Producer 20 software, and optionallycompressed as represented by the box 623 labeled “Optional compressionof file.” The file is then converted to a streaming multimedia formatfile as indicated by the box 635, labeled Convert file to streamingmultimedia format (“SMF”) file. Alternatively, a file from the box 620can be uploaded to the host computer 60 without being converted to astreaming format, and the conversion to a streaming video format can beaccomplished at the host computer 60. The process that is performed bythe VideoShare Producer 20 software as denoted by the box 635 involvesreading in the video file, frame by frame, and converting the video intoa streaming multimedia format.

The flow diagram indicates that the process makes a “thumbnail” of thevideo file, as represented schematically by the box 640, labeled Createand temporarily store JPEG “thumbnail” identifier.

The next part of the process is the upload operation, in which theVideoShare Producer 20 software contacts the host computer 60, which inone embodiment is the VideoShare Upload/Database Server at theVideoShare hosting facility. This portion of the automated process isdenoted by the box 645 labeled “Transfer (“upload”) temporarily storedSMF file and JPEG thumbnail identifier to host computer 60.” Both thecompressed video streaming multimedia file and the thumbnail image areuploaded at substantially the same time.

As schematically depicted by box 650, labeled Delete temporary file toconserve storage space on user's computer, the VideoShare Producer 20software removes all of the temporary files that were created in thecourse of the automated processing described above. This featureprovides for the user a convenient, secure, and transparent process,with the benefit that the user's computer storage device(s), for exampleone or more hard drives, do not become cluttered with unnecessary andobsolete files.

Once the upload has been completed, the VideoShare Producer 20 softwareand the host computer 60 (for example, the VideoShare Upload/DatabaseServer) will update the user's account to account for the requiredstorage space that the video requires. The necessary logging, creationof an identification tag, and storing of the video and the associatedidentifier or identifiers is also performed automatically, asschematically depicted by box 655.

The user can optionally add additional identification and controlinformation about the user, and about how and under what conditions thevideo is to be made available for distribution, as schematicallyindicated by box 660. The process by which some of this information iscollected is discussed below with regard to FIG. 8. The user isautomatically prompted to provide this information, but has the optionto forego making a decision immediately. The transmission of videosegment files to viewers is discussed in more detail below, and isrepresented in FIG. 6B by the box 670 labeled “Transmit file to viewer”which is outside the region 608 as an indication that the transmissionof files to viewers is an action beyond the material discussed above inconjunction with the Save and Share button 536 of FIG. 5.

FIG. 6C shows a flow diagram 602 of an embodiment of the invention inwhich software automates a number of steps in the formatting of a videosegment. In particular, in this embodiment, the video segment that theuser wishes to provide in streaming video format is compressed into aplurality of formats, each of which is encoded for optimal display at adifferent transmission bitrate. There can be a benefit to recording thesame video segment in multiple formats. For example, a casual viewer mayhave only a slow speed modem, such as a 28.8 kilobaud (kB) modem. Forsuch a viewer, the slow transmission speed can make the size of a file acritical feature. Such a user can view a video in real time if it isformatted for a 28.8 kB modem, but not if it is formatted forappreciably higher transmission speeds. Another user, for example, onewho has a T1 connection that can handle transmission speeds up toapproximately 1.5 megabaud, could successfully receive a version of thesame video segment that is formatted for higher transmission speeds,with the possibility of having a better quality image and higherresolution, perhaps with better audio as well. The T1 user could see theversion of the video segment intended for 28.8 kB transmission if he orshe wanted to, but might prefer to see a video segment that appeared tobe more professional in quality. By using a system that canautomatically discriminate the transmission speed capabilities of thehardware that the user employs, the embodiment allows each user to viewa version of the video segment that is optimally configured for theuser's hardware.

In particular, the steps of the method enclosed within the dottedrectangle 609 are automated by software that embodies the presentinvention. As described above, the user obtains and selects a videosegment for processing for distribution, as indicated at box 605 thatschematically encapsulates all of the actions that a user takes asdescribed in relation to FIGS. 4 and 5 above. When the user activatesthe Save and Share button 536 the actions described below that areenclosed by the dotted line 609 are automatically carried out under thecontrol of the VideoShare Producer 20 software.

As discussed in relation to FIG. 6A, the VideoShare Producer 20 softwaresubjects the selected video segment to analysis to determine whether theselected video segment is or is not in a file format that is compatiblewith a streaming video format, as indicated at diamond 610. If theselected video segment is not compatible with a streaming video format,it is converted to a compatible format, as depicted by the arrow labeled“NO” that points from the diamond 610 to the box 615, “Convert tocompatible file format.” The conversion process performed by theVideoShare Producer 20 software creates a DirectShow filter graph thatdecompresses the video file into a temporary, uncompressed AVI file.

The video segment file in a format that is compatible with streamingvideo is then temporarily stored in the user's computer 16, for exampleas a file on the hard drive of computer 16. This storing step isperformed if the file was originally in a format compatible withstreaming video by following the arrow marked “YES” that points from thediamond 610 to the box 620, “Temporarily store file.” Alternatively, thestoring step is performed if the file was originally not in a formatcompatible with streaming video by following the arrow that points fromthe box 615 to the box 620.

The temporarily stored file is then compressed in multiple streamingmultimedia formats, as denoted by the box 633. In the present example,three files will be used to describe the process, but it should beunderstood that more or fewer than three formats may be created atsubstantially the same time. The resulting multiple files are denoted bythe three boxes 634, 636 and 638 labeled “Bandwidth Target A,”“Bandwidth Target B,” and “Bandwidth Target C,” respectively. Each fileis optimally encoded for play as a streaming video segment at aparticular transmission rate and bandwidth, such as 28.8 kB, 56 kB, 100kB, 300 kB, or other transmission rates.

As described above, the method includes a step of creating andtemporarily storing a thumbnail identifier, as denoted by the box 640.Rather than transmitting one video segment in one SMF with onethumbnail, the embodiment of FIG. 6C transmits all the files 634, 636and 638 in association with the single thumbnail and any otheridentifiers that are selected as appropriate. For example, each SMF filecan be identified as to its bandwidth. In an alternative embodiment, thesystem transmits only a single SMF file with its associated identifiers,including the JPEG “thumbnail”, and the multiple bandwidth variants ofthe SMF file are generated at the host computer 60. This embodiment maybe advantageous when the user has only a slow speed modem, and would beseverely time constrained by having to upload multiple files.

The remaining steps of this embodiment, as denoted by the boxes 650,655, 660 and 670, correspond substantially to the steps in FIG. 6Arepresented by the boxes identified with the corresponding numerals. Itshould be noted that the precise order of some of the steps, forexample, the step denoted by the box 655 and the step denoted by the box650, can be interchanged without a different outcome of the overallprocess. Other such interchanges in sequence are possible as well, againwithout a different outcome of the overall process.

FIG. 6D depicts an embodiment of the database 64 of the host computer 60on which are recorded the three exemplary bandwidth target files 634,636 and 638 for FIG. 6C. These files are available for delivery over acomputer network to a viewer. The files 634, 636 and 638 represent threeversions of the same video segment in streaming multimedia format, eachsuitable for optimal viewing by a user having hardware operating at thetransmission rate corresponding to the format of one of the files.

As shown in FIG. 6E, the user (or the viewer) transmits to the hostcomputer 60 a request for a particular video segment, denoted by thearrow from the box labeled “USER” to the box 960 labeled “ConnectionSpeed Detector.” Host computer 60 can include hardware that can sensethe transmission speed of a user computer 16, or of a computer used by aperson desiring to view a video segment. Alternatively, the hostcomputer 60 can inquire of the computer on the network that is connectedto the user computer 16 or the computer of a viewer about the speed ofconnection that is being maintained. When the information is availableto the host computer 60, the host computer 60 can determine which fileof the files exemplified by 634, 636 and 638 is most appropriate toserve to the user or viewer, as denoted by the box 692 labeled “Logic toselect and serve SMF file to User.” The host computer 60 then transmitsthe appropriate file to the user, as denoted by the arrow from the box692 to the box 694 labeled “User receives and views SMF file.”Alternatively, the viewer can request the transmission of a file encodedat a specific bitrate.

When the user begins the process described in relation to FIG. 6A, inone embodiment, the “Progress Dialog” screen 700 depicted in FIG. 7 ispresented, reflecting the status of the process in real time. The“Progress Dialog” screen 700 notifies the user about the total number ofbytes that have to be uploaded to perform the transfer and it alsoinforms the user of the number of bytes and the percentage of the filethat have been uploaded in real time.

FIG. 8 depicts a dialog panel 800 presenting several methods with whichthe user can distribute the uploaded streaming video segment and itsassociated identifiers to third party recipients. The dialog panel 800prompts the user as to the possible selections that the user can elect.

In one embodiment, there are five possible methods to distribute thevideo file:

The user can elect to use an email browser to send an email to one ormore people that includes a URL reference to the video located on theVideoShare web site. This also includes the further possibility to sendthe video player directly embedded inside the email message. This optionis elected by activating the button 810, labeled “Share as a videomail.”

The user can elect to share the video as a greeting card, bringing theuser to the Video Greeting Card web page at the VideoShare web site. Inthis case, the user will also select features relating to the greetingcard. The user can elect this option by activating the button 820,labeled “Share as a video greeting card.”

The user can elect to send an ICQ URL message, automatically interfacingwith ICQ's Instant Messenger software. The user can elect this option byactivating the button 830 labeled “Share through ICQ Messaging.”

The user can elect to go to the user's VideoCenter page on theVideoShare web site, from which location the video can also be shared orsent to others. The user can elect this option by activating the button840, labeled “Take me to my VideoCenter.”

The user can elect to place HTML code in the user's clipboard thatreferences the video. This HTML code can be “pasted” into any Web pagethat supports HTML inserts. The user can elect this option by activatingthe button 850, labeled “Put HTML code in my clipboard.” In oneembodiment, this option allows a user to paste a video into a Web page,for example to demonstrate the use of a product for sale, or to presenta personal greeting to visitors to the Web page.

By electing to activate the button 860, labeled “Nothing, I'll sharethis video later,” the user can postpone making an election regardingthe sharing of the uploaded video segment.

The above options are discussed in more detail below.

Sharing the video by using email will bring up the user's default emailbrowser, such as Outlook, Netscape Communicator, Eudora, etc. This isaccomplished through the use of MAPI technologies that allow fordocument exchange on Win9x/2000 systems. A user who employs NetscapeCommunicator or Microsoft Outlook will be able to directly embed theWindows Media Player inside the email text body, allowing the recipientto directly play the video from his or her email browser. In oneembodiment, this “embedded video mail” feature causes a window such asthat depicted in FIG. 9 to appear, for example when the user is usingMicrosoft Outlook for e-mail service.

As shown in FIG. 9, at the top of the email message, the VideoShareProducer 20 software will display the Windows Media Player 910 with thesender's recorded video pre-loaded. The recipient of this embedded videomail only needs to activate the play button 920 on the Windows MediaPlayer to see the video segment, rather than going to a URL hyper-link.The embodiment includes the conventional dialog boxes for entry of anemail address for a recipient (box 902), a “carbon copy” (“cc”) address(box 904), and a subject (box 906). In the embodiment shown,instructions are presented below the Windows Media Player 910 for theconvenience of the recipient.

The two options “Share as a Video Greeting Card” and “Take me to myVideoCenter” causes the VideoShare Producer 20 software to spawn off aWeb browser and automatically jump to one of these two pages on theVideoShare Web site. The user can define the features of a videogreeting card, and can direct the card as an e-mail to a viewer.Alternatively, the user can define a recipient list for the videosegment as a single item to be viewed, and can send the video to thelocations on the list.

The “Share Through ICQ Messaging” button 830 can bring up ICQ's InstantMessenger software, if it is installed on the user's machine, and caninitiate a “URL Message” construction automatically. The VideoShareProducer 20 software can automatically fill out the URL that referencesthe playback of the user's video. The recipient of this URL Message canview the video by clicking a mouse on the URL to be taken directly tothe VideoShare web site, where the video can be displayed.

The “Put HTML code in my clipboard” button 850 can place a section ofHTML code that, when the user pastes this code in a web page, causes theWindows Media Player to automatically instantiate a video playback ofthe message. This feature enables the user to place this video in anysystem that supports HTML code, such as personal web pages, onlineauction sites, online job boards, and the like.

Working Offline and the “Sharing Queue”

The VideoShare Producer 20 software also allows the user to “workoffline.” Offline means that the VideoShare Producer 20 software willnot communicate with the host computer 60 (for example, the VideoShareUpload/Database Server) until the user explicitly uploads one-or-morevideos by using a “Sharing Queue.” This Sharing Queue appears to theuser as one of the main tabs in the VideoShare Producer 20 software andacts as a temporary queue for recorded/imported videos. “Work offline”allows the user to not make an Internet connection until he or she isready to upload more than one video at a time. This mode of operation isuseful for modem users who incur considerable expense for extendeddial-in times or people who are using laptops and are not always near anInternet connection outlet.

FIG. 10 shows a screen 1000 used to control the status of a video queue.When the user, after recording or importing a video, clicks the “Saveand Share” button 536 of FIG. 5 while in “offline mode,” the VideoShareProducer 20 software performs the first three steps of the “Save andShare Process,” namely, the video file format conversion represented bybox 615 of FIG. 6A, the compression of the video segment to a streamingmultimedia format at a user-specified bitrate represented by the box 635of FIG. 6A, and the creation of a “Thumbnail” JPEG snapshot of the videofile represented by the box 640 of FIG. 6A. The resulting output filesare stored in a local database for later use in the “Sharing Queue,”which is an operation similar to the temporary storage of files depictedin FIG. 6A. In the middle of FIG. 10 is a dialog box 1010 that displaysa list of video segments that are ready to be uploaded to the VideoShareWeb site. The small “Preview” window 1020 in the upper left corner ofFIG. 10 is a DirectShow playback graph that allows the user to reviewthe stored video segment that is highlighted in the dialog box 1010. Theuser can use this window to preview the video segment file by activatingthe “Preview” button 1030, to delete the video segment file byactivating the “Delete” button 1040, and to upload and publish the videoby activating the “Save and Share Now” button 1050.

The “Save and Share Now” button 1050 performs the uploading process oneach of the queued videos, creating a TCP/IP connection to theVideoShare Upload/Database Server, transferring the file to theVideoShare web site, and updating the user's VideoShare account, in amanner substantially similar to the method employed by the Save andShare button 536 of FIG. 5 to accomplish the same activities.

Audio/Video Setting Process

FIG. 11 shows a screen 1100 used to control the operational settings ofequipment connected to the user's computer. Another feature of theVideoShare Producer 20 software the ability of the user to change theconfiguration of the audio, video, and compression devices through theuse of the “Settings” tab 1110. Upon activation of the Settings tab1110, the screen 1100 is active.

The user can select the “bitrate” at which the streaming multimediafiles will be compressed by using the set of radio buttons 1120 at theupper left corner of the screen 1100. The default setting is “56 kModem” which corresponds to a user using a 56 k modem. This defaultsetting is denoted by the 56 k Modem radio button 1120 appearing with adot, while the remaining radio buttons for bitrate 1120 are blank. Inone embodiment, the pie graph 1130 that appears at the upper rightcorner of screen 1100 indicates the percentage of the user's VideoSharestorage space that is full. In the embodiment shown, the user has filledapproximately 3.13% of the available storage capacity available forstoring files. Two pull-down menus, “Camera source device” box 1140 and“Audio source device” box 1150, list all of the available video andaudio capture sources that the user has available on his or herWin9x/2000 machine. The user can select a source of audio or video byactivating the appropriate pull-down menu box and locating a device ofhis or her choosing. To the right of these pull-down menus, there aretwo buttons, “Video Settings . . . ” 1160 and “Audio Settings . . . ”1170 that allow the user to change the properties of the currentlyselected audio and video device. Such properties include image size,capture compression, lighting conditions, and the like. The screen 1100also provides to the user the current working directory information in athe box 1180 and the current queue directory information in the box1190, which the user can optionally change by entering new values ineither or both boxes 1180 and 1190.

EQUIVALENTS

While the invention has been particularly shown and described withreference to specific preferred embodiments, it should be understood bythose skilled in the art that various changes in form and detail may bemade therein without departing from the spirit and scope of theinvention as defined by the appended claims.

1. A method of sharing a video segment over a computer network, thenetwork comprising a receiving computer and a plurality of othercomputers including a destination computer, the method comprising thesteps of: (a) receiving at the receiving computer the video segment sentover the computer network from one of the plurality of other computers;(b) performing automatically at the receiving computer, in response to acommand received over the network, the steps of: (b1) assuring that thevideo segment is in a streaming video format; (b2) creating at least anidentification tag for the video segment to identify the video segment;(b3) storing the video segment under the control of the receivingcomputer in the streaming video format; and (b4) returning theidentification tag to the one of the plurality of other computers; (c)receiving the identification tag at the receiving computer; and (d) inresponse to the receipt of the identification tag at the receivingcomputer, streaming the video segment in the streaming video format overthe network to the destination computer.